The results of the annual competition for the oddest book title of the year, a real competition put on by The Bookseller.
The winner was "Weeds in a Changing World."
Runners-up were "Guide To Eskimo Rolling," and "Procrastination and Task Avoidance: Theory, Research and Treatment."
Other shortlisted titles included "Good Practice with Violence," "Lakeside Car Parks," "Toothpick Culture and Icecream Stick Art," "Women and Wasteland Development," and "Betel Chewing Equipment of East New Guinea."
The superb "Male Genitalia of Butterflies of the Balkan Peninsula" had been the favorite, but the judges seem to have suspected the title had been made peculiar on purpose, a trick outlawed by the rules.
This competition has in the past thrown up much engaging stuff. The all-time best seems to be the 1996 winner "Greek Rural Postmen and Their Cancellation Numbers."
Some other past winners are "How to Avoid Huge Ships," "Oral Sadism and the Vegetarian Personality," "Proceedings of the Second International Workshop on Nude Mice," and "The Joy of Sex: Pocket Edition."
Other titles shortlisted in past years include "God’s Chewable Vitamin C for the Spirit," "The Prostate: A Guide for Men and the Women Who Love Them," "A Method for Calculating the Size of Stone Needed for Closing End-Tipped Rubble Banks in Rivers," "Attractive and Affectionate Grave Design," "Wood Carving with a Chainsaw," "Male Genital Organs and their Improvement," and "Postal Rates in Iceland 1870-1997."
Comments on this entry are closed.